


After All This Time

by ShiloBarns



Series: What We Live For [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Aged-Up Eren Yeager, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Canon Era, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance, eren is 18, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:53:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26524009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiloBarns/pseuds/ShiloBarns
Summary: “Eren, I...” Levi starts, his hands coming up to push against Eren’s chest, just in case. Just in case Eren moves any closer, because Levi isn’t sure he can resist without the additional barrier his hands can provide.
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Series: What We Live For [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931566
Comments: 4
Kudos: 56





	After All This Time

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: This is now part of a multi-part series set in the same timeline!

Eren moves closer, noses brushing and breaths briefly mingling. Levi’s breathing hitches as they crowd together in the abandoned hallway just off the main branch of corridors. 

“Eren, I...” Levi starts, his hands coming up to push against Eren’s chest, just in case.  Just in case Eren moves any closer, because Levi isn’t sure he can resist without the additional barrier his hands can provide. Eren stills his movements, foreheads pressing close, just a hair’s breadth away from their lips touching. He stays silent as Levi’s thoughts run rampant. 

“I- I don’t, I want...” Levi stutters out, and Eren shifts his hands from the Captain’s sides to cradle his face. The hallway is deathly silent as Levi’s hands curl into the front of Eren’s shirt, wrinkling the fabric between his fingers. His hands, shaking as he endures the emotional thunderstorm raging in his chest. Eren’s left hand moves from Levi’s cheek to hold one of the hands curled against his chest. Levi’s gaze is drawn to his hands as Eren finally starts talking again.

“Levi-”Levi cuts Eren off and shakes his head repeatedly. He can’t. He doesn’t know if after all this time he’ll have the strength to pull away. His emotions are rubbed raw and he doesn’t know how much longer he can hold his emotions in. Eren stops, instead drawing Levi close and guides his head to his shoulder. Levi collapses into Eren’s chest, Eren’s arms wrapping around Levi’s body. The captain’s hands clench tighter in Eren’s shirt as he tries to breathe and calm his rapidly breathing heart. Levi’s cheek rumbles with the vibrations from Eren’s chest as he speaks.

“It’s okay,” Eren starts, and Levi presses closer,“Levi, it’s okay. You, you don’t-” he pauses, and Levi breathes deeply. Eren squeezes tighter, and lays his cheek on top of the shorter man’s head. They stand quietly in the deafening silence of the hallway. 

Feelings now out in the open, both spoken and implied, they wait in each other’s arms for the air to settle. Minutes pass, neither moving except for the occasional tightening of Eren’s arms around the captain’s smaller frame. After what feels like hours, Levi gently pulls back and Eren raises his head. The older man takes a controlled breath, and finally releases the front of Eren’s shirt from both of his fists. He smooths the rumpled fabric and raises a hand to Eren’s cheek as the two look each other in the eyes for the first time since the start of the interaction. Levi leans forward to gently press their heads together once again and breaks the silence.

“I-” Levi swallows heavily and gently clears his throat. “I need time, I…”

Eren stops him with a gentle, “okay.”

Levi nods once, foreheads still pressed close as the silence falls once again. Seconds pass, pressed close, once more cheek to cheek as the words settle around them. Eventually, the bubble that had formed around the pair will be broken. Eventually, they will have to part and return to the rest of the squadron, but something has permanently shifted. Slowly slipping back into their individual roles, the bubble pops, and neither acknowledge the other past the lingering brush of their fingers as they separate and start towards opposite ends of the hallway. 


End file.
